These pages are compiled from suggestions and content contributed by the members of the Historic Environment Group. To join the Group please contact the Network Manager after completing this brief survey which gathers member interests via this link. The Group is not restricted to RTPI Members.

OUR NEXT MEMBER EVENT:

Could you offer a small member event? Offers to andrew.matheson@rtpi.org.uk

OUR LAST MEMBER EVENT:

Moat Lane Towcester
On March 14th there was an opportunity to see and learn about the award-winning Moat Lane regeneration project in Towcester. Towcester is an historically important market town and the Moat Lane site is situated within the town centre conservation area and includes multiple listed buildings, historic burgage plots, a scheduled ancient monument and Grade II* registered watermeadows.  
As is usual for a Networks’ event, a wide range of interests gathered together to look at a very interesting example of heritage-led regeneration and to be intrigued by what will happen next, as the Council was about to select a development partner. Sincere thanks go to South Northamptonshire Council who provided the room but also to Urban Delivery’s Kate Pinnock and Ross Ingham, and masterplanner Rob West. Their presentation can be seen here. Attendee Phil Turner kindly shared his photos of the event and some more background details of the Mill building that stands to one end of the site.  The article that appeared in Planning (p30) giving the background to the visit may also be of interest.

Do you have local events or are you prepared to offer one to which we could give publicity via the member Bulletin?

LATEST BULLETIN NEWS:

please take this link

WEB RESOURCES:

Maintenance Matters!
A new web resource designed by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, for owners of historic and listed properties.

Sustainable Heritage: An online toolkit for asset management
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust has responded to the problem of an increasing number of important historic buildings ‘at risk’ across the UK by launching Sustainable Heritage: A free online toolkit for asset management. Sustainable Heritage is designed to help local authorities and other public bodies make informed decisions about the future of heritage assets in their ownership, and to manage and dispose of these assets in a sustainable way.

USEFUL PUBLICATIONS:

Averting Crisis in Heritage: This report from the Country Landowner & Business Association (CLA) sees heritage as a key part of the future, not just the past, and shows how the CLA wants to work with English Heritage and others in the heritage world to devise and implement changes which will allow the system to protect our heritage more effectively.The Report attracted significant media coverage, including a two-page article in Country Life (13 July) and a feature in Building Design.

The published PPS5: Planning for the Historic Environment
The renumbered and revised PPS was published alongside two other companion documents: a Department for Culture Media & Sport launched ‘Vision for England’s Historic Environment’, billed as a cross-Government ‘Six-Point Strategy to safeguard England’s precious built heritage’, and guidance prepared by English Heritage.
The RTPI commented "The RTPI is pleased to see that the revised PPS5 incorporates many of the RTPI’s concerns highlighted in our response to the 2009 consultation draft. We recognise that the revised PPS is a significant step forward in addressing our major concerns, in particular, the intrinsic value of the historic environment, and the benefits it contributes to the wider community."
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage, said: "We fully support the principles contained in PPS5 which recognise the vital social, economic and environmental benefits of all heritage assets."

Strategic Environmental Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal and the Historic Environment
new guidance from English Heritage.

The Green Guide for Historic Buildings
Published by The Prince's Regeneration Trust, this provides step-by-step advice on how to carry out sympathetic adaptations and address how effective they are likely to be in saving money and reducing carbon emissions.

RECENT CONSULTATIONS:

Following the invitation to Group members for input, the RTPI has made a submission to English Heritage in response to their consultation on a draft of their Good Practice Guide for Local Listing: Identifying and Managing Significant Local Heritage Assets.

The Setting of Heritage Assets
Following a Group event around this Consultation the RTPI made a formal submission that can be read here.

Consultation on the English Heritage guidance document ‘Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments – Principles and Practice'
The RTPI was invited to comment on this document in draft. Group Member Gill Thompson kindly provided some comments - via 'notes' on the original text - that you can see via this link.

Draft PPS15: Planning for the Historic Environment - the RTPI made a joint submission with IHBC in response to this consultation and the substantially revised document was subsequently published as PPS5.
Consultation on Historic Scotland Guidance Notes - Managing Change in the Historic Environment - see link for details

RECENT EVENTS:

There may be interest in holding similar events to those below in other parts of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales – if this would be of interest or you are able to offer/suggest a venue please contact Andrew Matheson or call 01789 763006.   

Penfold Review: heritage implications
A full house for this HEG event at the RTPI Offices was pleased to have an introduction from and debate with English Heritage representatives Sarah Buckingham, Dr Richard Morris & Charles Wagner. Their note of the implications for local authorities provided the basis for the discussion but debate was more wide-ranging and one amendment was provided in the light of a clarification from Minister John Penrose. The proposals to create a role for “accredited independent agents” (B2 in the note) will still be within the framework for local, democratic decision-making and the approach adopted for multi-route Building Regulations approvals is not  the model being used for listed building consents. A further event is likely to be offered when the formal consultations on Government proposals are announced.

Walking Tour of historic Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an historic part of the Borough of Islington. It took its name from the Clerks' Well in Farringdon Lane. After the Second World War Clerkenwell suffered from industrial decline and many of the premises occupied by the engineering, printing publishing and meat and food trades (the last mostly around Smithfield Market) fell empty. A general revival and gentrification began in the 1980s, and the area is now known for loft-living in some of the former industrial buildings and home to many professional offices. The map of the Clerkenwell tour and some of the photos taken en route are available via the link.

Heritage as a Lever for Economic Development and Sustainability
On  Wednesday 18th May, in conjunction with the RTPI Regeneration Network, Network members had the opportunity to visit Burslem which is at the heart of the potteries that have suffered in challenging economic times but is now showing signs of a remarkable recovery which has been heritage led. The event was offered thanks to support from the Burslem Regeneration Company and enabled a discussion of what heritage-led regeneration can achieve. The event was held at their HQ at the Burslem School of Art - a good example of successful asset transfer - and included a tour of Burslem centre itself - which has benefitted from the Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Historic Environment Records (HERs): their relevance and future role
On Wednesday 2nd February a workshop chaired by Eddie Booth, President of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, looked at research commissioned by English Heritage that is aiming to assess current practice around the use of HERs (Historic Environment Records) by planners and their attitudes towards the relevance and future role of HERs.

The Setting of Heritage Assets
On Wednesday 29th September Stephen Trow, Head of National Rural and Environmental Advice at English Heritage introduced this new English Heritage Consultation, invited questions and led a discussion of the content and its possible implications. IHBC and Heritage Alliance members joined the discussion. The presentation is now viewable via this link.

Heritage Crime Initiative: The Member event on this Initiative was a much smaller affair than some, but we were joined down the phone-line by a Scottish Government Member; Chief Inspector Mark Harrison, who is seconded to English Heritage, was very appreciative of the input from Members that will assist his progress with the Initiative. Some Members may be surprised at the extent of criminal activity that centres on heritage and historic artefacts. Mark’s presentation can be viewed via this link. 

PPS5
Our first event as the Historic Environment Group - held jointly with the RTPI Independent Consultants Network – in July with Pat Aird from English Heritage was very well received. The event was very lively with lots of discussion, especially around points arising from the new PPS5. You can see Pat’s presentation via this link.

Sustainable Historic Buildings
On Tuesday 3rd November 2009 RTPI Cymru and the National Trust organised a day event about ‘Sustainable Historic Buildings: Balancing Protection with the Future’. A packed meeting hall at the National Trust’s Craflwyn property gained the benefit of the knowledge and experience of Cadw, the Snowdonia National Park, two European projects with Welsh participation, as well as the National Trust itself.  The presentations are now available via this link.

Discussion of the draft PPS15: Planning for the Historic Environment
On 24th September the Country Land and Business Association kindly hosted this event at their HQ in Belgrave Square. The discussion of the draft PPS influenced the RTPI response - and probably those of others too. The subsequent RTPI consultation submission was made jointly with IHBC and can be read here.

Also published at the same time:
Historic Environment Planning Practice Guide (in England)
Protection of World Heritage (in England)

Conservation Principles, Policies & Guidance (in Wales)
RTPI Cymru made a submission in response to this Cadw consultation and this can be read here.

The Group in Scotland held an event building on the success of that held relating to World Heritage, at the RTPI HQ in Scotland in Edinburgh on Tuesday 16th June 2009. This event allowed attendees, including RTPI & IHBC representatives, to examine and discuss the nature of and possible responses to:
The heritage-related content of the draft Scottish Planning Policy

The subsequent submissions made by the RTPI and IHBC can be seen by taking the respective links.
The Ancient Monuments and Listed Buildings (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill

World Heritage for the Nation
In July 2010 thirty-eight applications were received by DCMS for the UK's new Tentative List of World Heritage sites for list including Blackpool, the Dover Strait, Jodrell Bank Observatory and the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. 

Prompted by the 2009 DCMS (Department for Culture Media & Sport) consultation under this title (linked here) the Network arranged three consultation events across the UK. The RTPI Nations, the Institute for Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) & three World Heritage sites co-operated to provide these opportunities to consider and influence the responses to this significant consultation. As noted above, a draft Circular has now been issued in England.:

A copy of the RTPI response to the Consultation is now available here.
And you can also read the response submitted by our event partner IHBC here.

GROUP RESOURCES:

The Network is seeking to establish a comprehensive on-line resource & signposting for planners involved in heritage conservation. Six pages have now been completed by members of the Interest Group - links are in the titles below. If you might be willing to contribute by acting as author and/or editor for some additional specialist subject area pages, please email andrew.matheson@rtpi.org.uk

Content suggested thus far for this resource is:

Ancient Monuments
Climate change issues
Conservation Areas
Education/interpretation & heritage
Gardens and designed landscapes
Heritage-led regeneration (revised 2011)(see also the Regeneration Network webpage)
Industrial heritage
Liaison with specialist heritage bodies
Listed/historic buildings (repair/retention/re-use)
Natural landscape/National Parks
Repair to Sandstone Walls (link to a page on the Angus Council website)
Tourism & heritage
Urban integration
World/National Heritage

Related documents you may be interested in:

Summary of draft Heritage Protection Bill (not currently being taken forward as legislation)

THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT GROUP

An Action Plan for 2011
Quarter 1 progress
Quarter 2 progress
Quarter 3 progress
Quarter 4 progress

A Report on 2010 - the Group's first year of operation

Author:

Andrew Matheson

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

20-Mar-12

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